1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to recording systems and methods of operation. More particularly, the invention relates to devices, methods and program products for location and environmental stamping of images, communications and other applications.
2. Description of Prior Art
Location and environmental stamping of images, communications and other applications provide a record of importance similar to time stamping in message processing, time recording, library activities and other applications. The availability of the omnipresent Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and other locating systems facilitates location stamping of objects of interest, e.g. momuments, scenic sites, travel points or any view of interest related to the GPS coordinates in images or pictures, email and other communications. Further, the miniaturization of electronic devices for environmental measuring, e.g., temperature, pressure, humidity facilitates environmental recording. Location and environmental stamping add another dimension to recording objects of interest, particularly in imaging applications. The stampings are further enhanced by including in the recording descriptive text of the object of interest. Moreover, the GPS coordinates enable an image of an object interest to be stored in a network for later recall by a terminal.
What is needed in the art is a pervasive device, system and method exploiting network and data processing techniques for location and environmental stamping of objects of interest including descriptive text to enhance and readily recall recorded images for the general public, educational and business communities.
Prior art related to recording objects of interest includes the following:
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,644 entitled “Camera” issued Apr. 9, 1996, discloses a position information recorder incorporated in a camera. A position-measuring unit receives position information via a GPS satellite and performs position measurements to calculate a position. A receiving state determination unit determines the state of receiving the position information. A memory stores the position measurement data, and a magnetic recording unit records data in the magnetic recording area of film. When position measurement data cannot be fetched, position measurement information stored in the memory immediately before is read out and recorded.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,285 entitled “Outdoor Movie Camera GPS-Position and Time Code Data-Logging for Special Effects Production”, issued Jun. 24, 1997 discloses a GPS navigator receiver with a data output port for communicating a position estimate frame-by-frame and time codes in SMPTE format. The conventional date and time sequence output of the GPS navigation receiver is combined with a highly accurate one pulse per second (±1 microsecond) to perform a timekeeping base for the time code output. A data logger records the position estimate with their corresponding time in time code format frame-by-frame in a database. Recorded position estimates are then used in special-effects post-production to direct the special effects animation, modeling kinetics, etc. in a composite, final film or video.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,042 entitled “Image Pickup Device for Automatically Recording the Location Where an Image is Recorded”, issued Nov. 30, 1993, discloses an image pickup device body for recording an image object. A position detection means detects the present location of the image pickup device body to record the resulting position data at the same time when the object image is recorded onto the image recording medium by the recording means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,042, entitled “Traffic Enforcement Device”, issued May 7, 1996 discloses a traffic monitoring an evidence gathering device which can be mounted in a movable monitoring vehicle to monitor vehicle traffic speed. When a speeding violation is detected, the device generates a vehicle-identifying image having date, time, and vehicle speed and location information imposed thereon. The device includes a speed detector operable coupled with a camera and a global positioning monitor. The monitor is also connected to the camera. When a monitored vehicle's speeds exceeds a predetermined magnitude, the detector generates an output serving to initiate operation on the camera and satellite monitor and to deliver speed information to the camera. The camera creates a vehicle-identifying image and imposes on the image the speed and position information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,986, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Sending Electronic Signals”, issued Jun. 8, 1999, discloses a time stamp and a location stamp included in a request for sensitive information required to be sent over an open network, such as the Internet. The time stamp carries the time in which a previous page in the application was sent to the client. The location stamp carries the client address as provided for that previous page. Preferably, the stamps are encrypted and are thus protected at the user location.
None of the prior art discloses a pervasive device and method of operation exploiting network and data processing techniques for correlating location and environmentally sensed information of an object of interest with stored information in a database in the device or in a network linked to the device for recording or stamping and readily recalling an object of interest in an image, communication or other medium.